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There is a story that in April 1890, two cowboys? in Arizona managed to shoot to death a giant birdlike creature with an enormous windspan. It was said it had smooth skin, and featherless wings like a bat. It's face resembled an alligator. Interestingly, this description has more than a cursory similarity to the prehistoric pterodactyl. They drug the carcass back to town, and it was pinned, wings outstretched across the entire length of a barn. There is supposed to be a picture of this event, that may or may not have been published in the local newspaper, the Tombstone Epitaph. No one has ever been able to find either a copy of the picture nor historic corroboration that this event ever occured, and it is most likely an urban legend. |
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There is a story that in April 1890, two cowboys? in Arizona managed to shoot to death a giant birdlike creature with an enormous wingspan. It was said it had smooth skin, and featherless wings like a bat. It's face resembled an alligator. Interestingly, this description has more than a cursory similarity to the prehistoric pterodactyl. They dragged the carcass back to town, and it was pinned, wings outstretched across the entire length of a barn. There is supposed to be a picture of this event, that may or may not have been published in the local newspaper, the Tombstone Epitaph. despite numerous people who have claimed to have seen this photograph recently, no one has ever been able to produce a copy of the picture nor make historic corroboration that this event ever occured, and it is most likely an urban legend. |
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Scientists were quick to work at discrediting the sightings, on the presupposition that it was impossible for a bird that large to be able to fly under its own power, or to even live due to circulatory difficulties. Unfortunately for them, fossil records from prehistoric times confirm that birds this large can and did exist, and probably also flew, aided by upcurrents in mountainous regions. Cryptozoologists posit that the thunderbird was associated with storms because a large bird could use the draft of a storm to stay in flight. [John Keel]? mapped several thunderbird sightings and found that sightings moved chronologically and geographically in sync with moving storm fronts across the United States. |
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Scientists were quick to work at discrediting the sightings, on the presupposition that it was impossible for a bird that large to be able to fly under its own power, or to even live due to circulatory difficulties. Unfortunately for them, fossil records from prehistoric times confirm that birds this large can and did exist, and probably also flew, aided by upcurrents in mountainous regions. Cryptozoologists posit that the thunderbird was associated with storms because they followed the draft to stay in flight. Noted Cryptozoologist [John Keel]? claimed to have mapped several thunderbird sightings and found that they corresponded chronologically and geographically with storms moving across the United States. |
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However, sightings in recent years had dropped to none, no bones or feathers have been found, and no evidence of preying by a bird this large has been documented. For now, the Thunderbird remains a creature of mythology. |
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However, sightings in recent years had dropped to none, no bones or feathers have been found, and no evidence of preying by a bird this large has been documented. For now, the thunderbird remains a creature of mythology. |
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